Some Things Never Change
by Falconcry
Summary: Hiccup and Toothless got caught in a thunderstorm and now Hiccup is ill. But when Astrid comes to visit him, it's a whole new story.


"I told you, you shouldn't have gone out in that storm. But did you listen to me? No. Of course not. Now that you're a big-shot Viking hero, you think you don't have to listen to anyone." Despite his weariness and blurred vision, Hiccup couldn't help but try for a smile at his former mentor's faux sternness. The dancing yellow-orange flames of the hearth flickered across Gobber's weather-beaten face, shadowing his features and sharpening his worried expression. Thunder rolled outside, deep bass and distant as it chased the dark storm clouds across the sky above the thatched roof, strident booms shaking the frame of the house slightly with its passing. Hiccup's shallow breathing barely made his chest rise and fall, sweat glistening on his paled skin as the firelight glimmered in his glassy green eyes.

He lay on a makeshift cot in the main room of his house, so close to the fire he was practically in it. The town healer had said he needed to be close to heat, but Hiccup couldn't help but wonder if Gobber had taken her prescription too literally. He could feel the warmth lapping over him like the tide but it didn't penetrate his chilled form; it lingered on the surface, far from where it was needed. His frigid insides caused him to shiver uncontrollably and he coughed weakly, letting his eyes drift in and out of focus. He heard Gobber sigh heavily and stand, the stool he had been sitting on scraped loudly across the floorboards. "What am I going to do with you, Hiccup?" He muttered half to himself, giving Hiccup's shoulder a hearty pat that almost sent him sprawling into the flames.

Hiccup closed his eyes, letting the exhaustion that he had held at bay flood his systems, drowning them in darkness that was terribly comforting. He heard the door creak open, followed by a draconic whimper and a scuttling of talons. The boy forced his drooping eyelids open to see a huge dark form bound across the room, nearly blowing over Gobber with his wings half-flaring with the excitement that so eagerly glittered in his opalescent eyes. Toothless halted before Hiccup, thin pupils expanding to take up most of his large eyes as a deep throaty purr rumbled from deep in his night-black throat. The dragon tentatively took a step forward and promptly nudged his friend with his nose, his gaze so intent and pleading that Hiccup was helpless to suppress a short laugh and reached a quivering arm up towards Toothless's scaly muzzle.

His strength failed him at the last moment but Toothless dipped his head and caught Hiccup's hand before it fell, his contented purr vibrating through his bones and dispelling some of the chill that gripped him. The Night Fury half-closed his eyes and increased his purr in volume as Hiccup scratched his nose, arching his huge body into the caress before plopping down on the floor with a thud that made the whole house shudder. Toothless watched Hiccup's face through the lull of his pleasure, absently thumping his tail on the ground, his red makeshift tailfin clacking on the wood every time the dragon brought his tail down. Hiccup smiled tiredly at his friend, slowly retracting his arm and huddling it close to his trembling body to retain what meager warmth he could. Toothless whined in worry, nuzzling Hiccup's sweaty face with his enormous head and then quite promptly decided to lick his face, large pink tongue swiping dutifully over the Viking boy's visage.

"I can't breathe, buddy." Hiccup's paper thin voice sounded like it had been shredded in a meat-grinder, but flying in a thunderstorm tended to have that effect. He put both hands on either side of his dragon's head, feeling sleek muscles tense under his touch, Toothless becoming absolutely still and gazed transfixed into Hiccup's eyes. Gobber secretly smiled at the pair, having retreated back to his stool and out of range of Toothless's madly wagging tail. Toothless was more loyal than a hound and as fierce as they come, but he was as tame as a house pet when Hiccup was around. Imagine that: the Night Fury, scourge of the Viking world, putty in the hands of a mere child. Toothless cooed gently, a jaw that could rend the strongest of weapons softly grazing Hiccup's hairline in so light a touch that wouldn't have roused a kitten from its sleep.

A new set of footsteps became audible through the doorway, bringing with them the scent of midnight rain. Toothless snapped his head up and his placid face twisted into a black mask of ferocious terror, ready to defend his friend with his life, but his savage expression melted away to one of playfulness as the person drew nearer. Hiccup knew who it was just by their backlit form in front of the fireplace, the slender body and carefully braided hair swinging gently away from her face, one no doubt etched with concern. "Hey Astrid," Hiccup groaned internally, hoping that she couldn't see his cheeks burning in the glare of the flames.

He suddenly felt very self-conscious about every aspect of his limp body under the weight of her worried gaze. Hiccup forced on a brave face, holding back a grunt of pain as he dragged his silver prosthetic further from view, knowing full well that she had seen him do it. They tenderly locked eyes, hers glowing softly with something a little more personal than his well-being. Hiccup shied away from her gaze and Gobber coughed a little too loudly, making a hasty excuse and fled upstairs faster than Hiccup would've thought possible for a man of his bulk. Toothless slunk away a few feet, curling his long body around himself and rested his head on his paws, huge reflective eyes glistening as he watched them attentively.

Awkward silence stretched over the two teenagers as Astrid folded her long limbs into a sitting position by Hiccup, staring into the fire and chewing nervously on the inside of her lip as she searched frantically for something to say. Why did seeing him like this pain her so much? He was a big Viking now, he didn't need her to go worrying over him like this, but something inside of her kept tugging her to steal glances over her shoulder at him. She couldn't quite place the feeling. Was it fear of losing him? Was it a natural reaction to a friend in need? Or was it something else that had drawn her to him tonight? A look of irritation crossed Astrid's face as this thought floated innocently into her mind and she mentally crushed it into oblivion.

No way could she be falling for a guy like Hiccup. Then again, he had always been different from the other boys in the village. They were loud and obnoxious, flirting blatantly with her and expecting her to fall head over heels for their big muscles and "charming" personalities. Hiccup was quiet, shy, and gentle, barely able to muster a hello while greeting someone without stumbling over his words. A faint smile flickered over her features at the memory and she hugged her knees to her chest, further exploring the possibilities. Even though he was socially awkward and a bit on the scrawny side, Hiccup had a big heart and an indomitable spirit. She liked that.

Hiccup had developed a sudden interest in watching the fire in the meantime, heartbeat accelerating with just having Astrid near. Why had she come to see him? He avoided the forbidden word while searching for answers, but all of his rabbit-trailing thoughts led to the same conclusion. He bit his lip and inclined his head but found himself unable to stop himself from staring at Astrid, her hair beautiful in the light of the fire. Oh Thor, who was he kidding, _she _was beautiful, everything about her appealed to him. But what were the chances of a girl like her liking a guy like him. It wasn't possible. And yet… she had come to see him when he was sick. He could make her laugh. She had grabbed him by the shirt and kissed him. A spark of hope fluttered in his chest.

"How are you feeling?" Astrid's voice came and caught Hiccup off-guard and totally blank as to an answer.

He remembered saying something really smart like: "Uhhhh…" His eyes wandered up to her face and caught her lips curving upward in a smile, still facing the hearth. "Better." He recovered, which wasn't a lie. The cold that had settled in his bones had thawed out, but he did feel like he had been hit by a Gronkle.

"I'm glad." Astrid said, still not turning to face him. Hiccup darted his eyes over to Toothless for encouragement, but the dragon had closed its eyes; he could just make out its jet black form through the gloom. Suppressing a sigh, Hiccup gathered what meager strength he had left and channeled it into his arms, pushing his body off the ground. He bit his lip to drown out a groan; he felt as heavy as lead and like his arms would snap at any moment. Breath coming in ragged draws, Hiccup was acutely aware of the sweat beading up on his forehead at the effort he was exerting to just keep himself leveled, but he couldn't just keep lying on the floor with Astrid here. It looked weak, and he wanted to be anything but weak. He gasped as his left arm buckled.

He didn't fall though, as another arm shot out and held him up. Astrid moved from her spot by the fire and used both hands to place Hiccup in a sitting position with his back resting against a bench. Hiccup waited for his lungs to stop begging for air before giving Astrid a small smile, finding himself unable to rip his gaze away from her eyes. "Careful," She warned, her tone meant to be scolding but it lacked a stern back. Hiccup gave her a worn out grin and let his head loll back, listening to her sit down next to him. A few more minutes of silence trickled past, Toothless snarling in his sleep as he chased sparrows in his dreams.

"Hiccup," Astrid ventured, her heartbeat fluttering as she watching him peer out at her from half-closed eyelids. "There's something I wanted to say to you."

"Actually," Hiccup said, sitting up straight and opening his eyes, his voice hitching with nervousness. "I had something to tell you too." They both took a deep breath and closed their eyes before blurting out at the same time:

"I kind of like you." They both opened their eyes and said in unison, "Huh?" Hiccup ducked his head to hide his embarrassment, and Astrid put a hand to her mouth to hide her smile. Secretly Toothless open one eye to a slit and watched them as Astrid scooted a little closer to Hiccup and he inched his hand a little closer to hers. They both sheepishly held each other's gazes, trying to muster up enough courage to make the first move, but neither could. With a sigh of false exasperation Astrid placed her lips firmly but not unkindly on Hiccup's; she could feel a shudder run through his body as her own heartbeat skipped a few beats of its own. She lingered, Hiccup focusing on remembering how to breathe, and tentatively kissed her back. It felt more real than the quick pecks they had shared in the past and he enjoyed it thoroughly before Astrid pulled away, her face almost as red as the fireplace.

Hiccup kept his eyes shut for a moment or two after they broke the kiss, and when he slowly opened them again he found Astrid's warm blue eyes searching for his own. He smiled as the leftover adrenaline ran itself through his system. Hiccup coughed and blinked slowly, a sudden feeling of drowsiness overtaking him. A dragon-sized yawn escaped his mouth and Toothless perked his head up at the sound, cocking his head curiously and blinking his large eyes once before slinking nearly silently over to his friend. The Night Fury chirruped and nuzzled Hiccup, readjusting his wings so that as the boy slumped over onto his body he would have a comfortable place to lay his head. Toothless refolded his enormous wing over Hiccup's slender form and began to purr loudly, his own eyes beginning to close as he let out a huge yawn that fully revealed all his razor-sharp teeth.

Astrid smiled kindly at the two; they were such a pair. "Maybe yawning is contagious," She said in a low voice to Toothless, scratching him in his favorite spot right behind his ear, making him increase the volume of his contented purring. The blond haired girl wandered her gaze over to Hiccup, who was already asleep. She watched him rise and fall with each breath that his dragon took; the only noise came from the deep rumbling of Toothless and the crackling of the fire in the hearth, which was burning itself out. Astrid lingered for a little longer before stretching out her legs and walking slowly to the door, but as she opened it and the cool air touched its fingers to her face she took one look back. Toothless seemed to sense this, for he opened one eye to a slit and flicked his tail towards the door before curling it back around himself and the sleeping Hiccup.

She smiled to herself as the dragon closed his eye, walking out into the night and leaving the cozy room behind, quietly shutting the door on her way out.


End file.
